Cursed Villainess' Obsession-Chapter 20

"Run."

Ken blinked. "Wait, what—?"

"Run," Siegfried repeated, his expression deadpan.

‘This is insane!’ Ken thought, running as fast as he could through the dense forest.

Siegfried’s training method could be summed up in one word: brutal.

"Your legs are too slow! If you can’t escape, you’ll die!" Siegfried shouted, pursuing Ken through the woods with frightening speed.

Ken was already exhausted, his thighs burning and his breath coming in ragged gasps. He had been running for what felt like hours, with Siegfried relentlessly chasing him down.

"...Caught you."

"Ugh!" Ken gasped as the wooden sword struck his back, sending him sprawling onto the ground.

[System: Your Physical Resistance skill has leveled up.]

Siegfried stood over him, completely unfazed by the chase. "I’ll start counting again."

Ken groaned as he scrambled back to his feet. The training would only end in one of two ways: either Ken collapsed from exhaustion or he managed to land a hit on Siegfried.

‘This guy’s a demon!’

Siegfried began counting once more, giving Ken a head start before the chase resumed.

In retrospect, Ken had to admit this training wasn’t entirely pointless. Running like this was great for cardio, and dodging Siegfried’s attacks helped with his evasive skills. If he could eventually land a blow, it would improve his swordsmanship too.

But right now…

"The tracks end here," Siegfried said, his sharp eyes scanning the area.

‘Oh no, he’s close!’ Ken thought, covering his mouth as he hid behind a bush.

Siegfried’s gaze was so intense it felt like he could shoot lasers from his eyes. Ken’s heart raced as he tried not to breathe too loudly.

‘This is like a horror game!’

Siegfried was like a relentless predator, and Ken felt like a helpless piglet trying to avoid being caught. The whole situation was terrifying.

"...Found you."

"AHHHHH!" Ken screamed as Siegfried suddenly appeared from above, ready to strike again.

Hours later, Ken lay sprawled on the ground, completely spent. "I’m... I’m going to die…"

"You did well," Siegfried said, not even breaking a sweat as he handed Ken a bottle of water.

Ken gulped down the water, his body trembling from exhaustion, and glanced at his system notifications.

[System: Due to repeated stealth actions, you have acquired the skill ‘Stealth LV 1.’]

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‘At least I got something out of this,’ Ken thought. He had spent most of the training session running and hiding, so it made sense that he had unlocked a stealth skill.

Not only that, but his physical resistance had also improved, thanks to the repeated beatings from Siegfried’s wooden sword.

‘This is actually good progress,’ Ken mused, despite his aching body.

"You’re lacking stamina," Siegfried said, as if Ken didn’t already know. "We’ll work on that gradually. For today, we’re done."

"Just today…?" Ken asked, his voice filled with dread. "What about tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow we’ll continue the pursuit training. After that, we’ll start on swordsmanship."

Ken forced a smile, though inwardly he was panicking. ‘Maybe I picked the wrong teacher... This is too intense!’

Just as Ken was catching his breath, a cheerful voice called out from a distance.

"Zieg! Are you done yet?"

Ken turned to see a girl with pink hair approaching, her face lighting up with a bright smile. It was Elise Granbell, a familiar character in the game. As she got closer, she noticed Ken and bounded over to him.

"Oh, so you’re Ken! You look a bit goofier than I expected. Haha!" she teased with a mischievous grin.

"Goofy…?" Ken muttered, slightly taken aback by her boldness. ‘Who’s been talking about me?’

"Ken, this is Elise Granbell, an old friend of mine," Siegfried said, introducing her with his usual stoicism.

"I’m basically like his older sister!" Elise boasted, ignoring Siegfried’s eye roll.

"...More like an annoying little sister," Siegfried corrected.

Ken already knew who Elise was. In the game, she was a major character—one half of the Siegfried-Elise pair that many players loved to ship together.

‘They’re one of the few couples that fans really rooted for,’ Ken thought, recalling how Elise played a pivotal role in Siegfried’s character development. In the game, she was known for being a supportive childhood friend with a deep bond to Siegfried.

"So, did Zieg train you well?" Elise asked, leaning over with a playful smirk.

"Uh, yes! It’s... very effective," Ken replied.

Elise laughed. "Effective? You’re just being polite! This blockhead couldn’t teach anyone anything useful!"

She slapped Siegfried on the back, laughing all the while. Siegfried, for his part, took it in stride, seemingly used to her antics.

"Come on, let’s go eat before the food gets cold!" Elise tugged at Siegfried’s arm, trying to hurry him along.

Siegfried turned to Ken. "Would you like to join us?"

"Join… you two?" Ken hesitated, seeing Elise’s smile falter as she glanced between him and Siegfried. It was obvious she wanted some alone time with her childhood friend.

Ken had no intention of getting in the way of their relationship. He had been a supporter of their pairing in the game, after all.

"I have another commitment. Maybe next time," Ken said politely.

Elise’s smile returned, brighter than before. "Oh, good! I mean—yeah, maybe next time!"

Siegfried seemed unbothered, while Elise quickly pulled him away, waving goodbye as they left. Ken waved back, watching the two walk off together.

After the first day of training, Ken headed back to his dorm, took a shower, and then made his way to Laphne’s tower for their usual time together.

"Ken… you look more tired than usual. Did you sleep well?" Laphne asked, concern in her voice.

"I’m fine. Don’t worry about me," Ken replied, though his exhaustion was clear.

He sat down to the meal Laphne had prepared, but to his surprise, he found he didn’t have much of an appetite. The intense workout from earlier had taken a toll on him.

Laphne, noticing the change in him, didn’t seem too distressed, but her eyes reflected worry as she watched him eat slowly.

‘That’s right… I need to start working on the Goddess Pendant soon,’ Ken thought, glancing at Laphne as she quietly ate her bread.

The pendant would be the key to lifting Laphne’s curse. With his crafting skills having improved after making equipment for both Mary and Siegfried, Ken felt confident enough to attempt the trial run for the pendant.

‘The problem is the materials…’

The Goddess Pendant required rare items to craft, and Ken was still unsure where to find them. He had already asked Laphne if her family could help, but even the Martinez family didn’t have access to the materials he needed.

Two ingredients were essential: Pure Mana Crystals and the Goddess’s Emblem.

‘I have an idea about where to get the Mana Crystals, but the Emblem… that’s a problem.’

In the game, the Goddess’s Emblem was a treasure passed down through the royal family of Liliath. It became available as a reward for a key event, but only if Emily played a heroic role during the war.

‘It’s not like I can just walk into the royal palace and ask for it…’

Ken wanted to help Laphne as soon as possible. She was trapped in the tower, and it pained him to see her confined there. He also knew that maintaining daily visits would eventually become impossible. Laphne deserved her freedom.

"Why do you ask?" Ken said, noticing Laphne’s curious gaze.

"Ken, I’m fine as long as you’re here… really," she replied, smiling softly. "Don’t worry about me."

Her words reassured him, but Ken knew better. Her confinement weighed heavily on her, even if she wouldn’t admit it. If she wasn’t struggling, she wouldn’t cry so often whenever he arrived.

‘Maybe I’ll have to find a substitute for the emblem…’ Ken thought, feeling stuck.

But as luck would have it, an unexpected event quickly gave him the solution he needed.

As Ken was walking through the academy hallways, pondering the materials for the pendant, he was suddenly grabbed by a group of men.

"What the…!?" Before he could react, they tied him up, gagged him, and hoisted him off the ground.

"One, two! Lift him up!" the men chanted as they carried Ken off like he was a sack of goods.

‘What the hell is going on?!’

Just as they were carting him away, Ken saw Mary out of the corner of his eye. She spotted the men abducting him and immediately sprang into action, rushing toward them with fury in her eyes.

"What do you think you’re doing—wait, what?" Mary stopped abruptly as one of the men whispered something to her.

‘What did he say to her…?’ Ken wondered, thoroughly confused. Mary, who had been ready to attack, simply stood there, watching as the men carried him off without another word.

Eventually, the men brought Ken to a room and finally removed the gag from his mouth.

"Puha!" Ken gasped for air as he was dropped into a chair.

The room appeared to be some kind of parlor, and Ken was seated in the center, facing a grand sofa.

Across from him sat a woman, calmly sipping tea with her legs crossed.

"Are you Ken Feinstein?" the woman asked, her voice cold and authoritative.

Ken blinked, trying to place her. He knew this woman. She was Anette Nel Arnora, the president of the Dreadis Academy Student Council.

"I have a weapon for you to craft," she said, setting down her teacup with a determined look in her eyes.